Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site (1)
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Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site (1) (1943-1946) - A World War II U.S. Army Radar Site established in 1943. Used to provide target information to large caliber (6" and above) coastal gun batteries in the Harbor Defense of the Pensacola against enemy warships. Located on Fort Pickens across from Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. Closed in 1946.
HistoryPart of the Harbor Defense of Pensacola.
 Constructed and transferred for use on 12 May 1943 as Fort Pickens WWII SCR-582 Radar Site. Construction costs to date of transfer were $11,025. The physical plant consisted of an SCR-582 radar set, mounted atop a wooden fire control tower, a powerhouse with two generators and a 1000 gallon fuel tank. The powerhouse was placed on a concrete pad and footings installed by the Corps of Engineers who erected the structure below the tower at the base of the steps leading up to the tower base.
Site OperationIn operation, the SCR-582 search radar provided an overview of all potential targets within its range. Once enemy targets were identified and plotted at the harbor HECP/HDCP command posts, target assignments were passed by telephone to the appropriate SCR-296 tracking radar site, citing the approximate range and azimuth of the target. Each gun battery 6" or larger had an associated SCR-296 radar site to track specific targets. The SCR-296 radar operators would then find the assigned target and pass the precise range and azimuth to the plotting room at the gun battery by phone. The radar operators would continue to track the target and update the plotting room as the range and azimuth changed. 
ClosureClosed circa 1946. Current StatusThe tower footings remain and the HECP/HDCP structure also remains.
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Links: Visited: 5-6 Jan 2018, 25 Apr 2013, 30 Dec 2011, 16 Dec 2009
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